Osteoarthritis affects an estimated 20% of dogs over one year of age and is massively underdiagnosed and undertreated. Multimodal management dramatically improves quality of life for affected dogs.
Millions of dogs live with chronic, unmanaged joint pain that owners attribute to aging and veterinarians may underdiagnose without targeted assessment. The suffering of chronic arthritis — pain with every step, difficulty rising, inability to participate in previously enjoyed activities — is substantial and continuous. The welfare gap between dogs who receive multimodal pain management and those whose arthritis is ignored or undertreated is profound. Modern treatments including novel monoclonal antibody therapies represent major advances in chronic pain management that can restore comfortable mobility and activity. Every dog with osteoarthritis deserves assessment and treatment rather than acceptance of avoidable chronic pain.